What YOU Need to Know About Emergency Contraception

Romance is in the air. Flowers, chocolates, condoms, and lube are in demand, and you’ve got a hot date. This weekend, you and your Valentine might want to try something new – did someone say surfboard! But what do you do if you get too drunk in love and something rips or slips, and not in good way?

Don’t worry. Back-up birth control, often referred to as emergency contraception, can keep you or your partner protected from unintended pregnancy. Now, thanks to a recent court ruling, the emergency contraceptive pill Plan B One-Step® is more widely available than ever and anyone (ladies and gents) can pick it up from the store shelf and purchase it without having to show identification.

EBONY.com contributor Dr. Aletha Maybankon explains how Plan B One-Step®, available for $50 on average, actually works to prevent pregnancy. It must be taken within 3 days of unprotected sex and works by preventing ovulation or by stopping sperm from reaching an egg. Emergency contraception will not end or harm an established pregnancy.

The downside? It may not work in women weighing more than 165 pounds. This could be a major issue for Black women, whose average weight is 187 pounds. The average weight of all American women is 166 pounds.